Jack Sargeant, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership
On 5 July, the Wales Women’s team will make history when it plays its first game against the Netherlands in the UEFA EURO 2025 tournament in Switzerland. This will be a historic moment as our women participate in their first major tournament, one of sixteen top European teams. Our other group games will be against France and England.
At the outset of this statement, we must congratulate the coach, Rhian Wilkinson, and her players, coaching staff, and everyone at the Football Association of Wales, for this fantastic achievement. Whatever happens in July, this team, our Dreigiau, have already made us very proud.
Furthermore, I am delighted to see how, once again, the success of our sporting teams is showcasing Wales on the world stage. We will continue to use this platform to promote our country, culture, and values globally - highlighting not only our rich heritage but also the innovation and excellence of Welsh businesses.
After the World Cup, this is the largest competition for women’s football. The women’s game is growing with a record global audience of more than 360 million watching the Euros in 2022, while 50 million watched England’s victory over Germany in the Wembley final. This is the first time the Wales Women’s team has reached a major football competition and there will be plenty of interest and support for Wales. This year’s Euro 2025, therefore, represents a very positive opportunity to highlight this momentum around the game for girls and women in Wales, and a catalyst to encourage more people to participate in sport.
The Welsh Government is working very closely with the Football Association of Wales and other key partners to maximise this unique opportunity. I would like to take the opportunity today to update members on our intentions.
Last week, I welcomed partners to the first Tîm Cymru UEFA 2025 Stakeholder Steering Group. The group includes representatives from the FAW, Sport Wales, Wales Arts International, Amgueddfa Cymru, S4C, BBC Wales, ITV Wales, the British Council, Chief Leisure Officers of Wales and yr Urdd. I was pleased to see the passion and enthusiasm, with plenty of good ideas, in this first meeting with the partnership already embracing a “Gorau chwarae, cyd chwarae” approach off the field. The stakeholder group will meet monthly to explore opportunities to maximise the benefits of our participation in the tournament and to champion a team effort between stakeholders.
As Minister with responsibility for Sport, I will lead the coordination of a programme of activities that will deliver our core objectives that have been developed and agreed by our partners. These are to promote Wales to a global audience and project our values, particularly around equality and inclusion. We will promote girls and women’s sport, encouraging increased participation, and securing a legacy from the competition.
I am pleased to announce today that we will be establishing a £1m Partner Support Fund, with the aim of supporting exceptional projects that can support our core objectives. This fund will use the expertise of a range of organisations to support and enhance our programme of activities and develop content. This scheme will aim to support activities here in Wales and in Switzerland and as a package, they will project our collective strength as a nation, as a Team Wales that is stronger together.
We will also implement a marketing campaign which will focus on core target international markets across brand, business and tourism as well as a strong in-Wales campaign presence. The marketing campaign will also deliver activities through work with our greatest advocates – the fans and voices from Wales – as well as with partners and Euro 2025 Ambassadors, ‘Lleisiau Cymru’, who will act as strong and influential voices for Wales across our activity.
To support our objective to promote Wales and engage in diplomacy, Ministers will attend a range of events in the lead up to the tournament as well as each of Wales’s group games against the Netherlands, France and England. The core aim of these visits will be to support business, cultural and sporting initiatives. We will also work with the Embassy in Switzerland and the UK Government to engage with key international stakeholders.
To ensure the safety and security of Welsh fans in Switzerland, we have begun discussions with the UK Government and will continue to meet with a range of government agencies in the lead up to, and during the tournament.
As a government, and with our wider partners, we need to ensure we build a legacy from the Euros that inspires the next generation of our boys and girls and encourages an increase in sports participation to support the health and wellbeing of our nation. To help secure a positive and lasting legacy, our Programme for Government already makes a commitment to invest in our sporting facilities with a capital budget of £10m already announced for 2025-26, which builds on the £24m we have already invested over the past three years.
I hope Members will support this ambitious and exciting range of activities to make the most of this unique opportunity around our women’s team’s participation at the tournament.